The Catholic Church is suffering internally as is the rest of the world. Its hierarchy divided. Similar to the U.S. Congress. Right and left at each other’s throats. Especially the extreme right.

The Roman Curia is composed of those Cardinals who run the Vatican. As with our Congress, split badly philosophically. Many anti Pope Francis. Makes running the Church an unusually difficult task.

Outside influences involved. Several times I have written concerning Newt Gingrich and Steve Bannon. Both support Francis’ overthrow.

Gingrich’s wife Callista was Trump’s appointee as Ambassador to the Vatican. Provided Newt with open access to Vatican movers.

Bannon’s basic motivation in life is the overthrow of existing governments. He continues to seek Francis’ overthrow. He and Gingrich worked hand in hand during Callista’s ambassadorship. Both walk hand in hand with those bishops who oppose Francis within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bannon claims Francis is “dangerously misguided.” He refers to the Vatican as the “enemy camp.”

The Roman Curia comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. They are supposedly the group of various bureaus of the Holy See that assist the Pope in the day to day exercise of his primatial jurisdiction over the Roman Catholic Church.

The Curia is traditionally associated with members of the Sacred College of Cardinals, acting either as a body or individually as administrators of the various bureaus.

Francis has difficulty with many of them. They are opposed to “his ways” and want him deposed. Many openly buck him.

Thursday, Francis addressed the Curia. He admonished them in terms of right and wrong, good and evil.

Some of his words: “Be vigilant, evil comes back under new guises…..Before, evil appeared rough and violent, now it shows up as elegant and refined…..These elegant demons demons enter smoothly, without our even being conscious of them.” Francis encouraged those present to always put Christ at the center, warning against the temptation of putting “too much of ourselves, our strategies, and our programs” instead. “Some of our failings, also as a Church, are a forceful summons to put Christ back at the center, for as Jesus says, ‘Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.'”

There is a message here. The saying…..God is in His Heaven, all is right with the world” is not correct. God is in His Heaven, but all is not right with the world!

Today a special one. The birth of Christ. To all, a Merry Christmas!

Best celebrated with family and friends. Not all so fortunate. Those alone will best enjoy the holiday by recollecting better times when it was spent with family and friends.

A treacherous once in a generation winter storm is pummeling central and eastern U.S. It is called a “snowpocalypse.”

Key West is experiencing a very cold Christmas Day. I began writing this blog at 6 am. Just stepped out on the front porch to “feel” how cold. Cold!!! Fifty three degrees. High today projected at 59 degrees.

Buffalo an example of how badly an area can be hit. Buffalo always has bad winters. They know how to handle the storms and are ready for them. This one unfortunately is over the top. Too much.

Buffalo is being ravaged. Hundreds stranded in vehicles in frigid cold and drifting snow. No way for rescue workers to reach them.

The entire of Erie County is without emergency service. No way for first responders to do what they normally would. A doctor was coaching a woman over the phone how to deliver her sister’s baby.

The storm has been labeled Buffalo’s worst ever.

It is reported the storm has passed. Buffalo is in the process of getting out and performing as it could not the past 24 hours.

An interesting note in today’s KeysNews. Makes reference to Christmas Day 1933 in Key West. The Manhattan Café was offering a dinner of turkey and dressing with all the trimmings for 65 cents.

Those were the days!

Enjoy your day…..best you can!

Serious discussions concerning renovating/updating Mallory Square are taking place. The issue of the area’s name has become part of the discussions. Should the name be changed. Stephen Mallory was a Confederate successionist who served as the Confederacy’s Secretary of the Navy.

My son in law Corey Malcom solved the problem.

Corey is a brilliant historian. Tom Hambright described him as a “world class historian.” The description befits him.

Corey is an archeologist by education. Early on worked in the Middle East. Served as the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum’s Director of Archeology for more than 30 years. Now Hambright’s successor as Monroe County Historian.

He is acknowledged and respected as the world authority re Spanish wrecks and slave ships. Along the way, he earned a Doctorate from England’s University of Huddersfield.

I dwell initially on Corey’s background and talents not because he is my son in law. Though I take pride in it. I dwell on his background because what he has discovered will surprise everyone: Mallory Square is NOT named after the secessionist Stephen Mallory.

Corey did some digging and discovered a 1961 letter from the Chairman of the Old Island Restoration Foundation, one of Key West’s first historic preservation groups.

Key West purchased the “Clyde-Mallory Docks” in 1952, but a plan for the area was not realized till 1960 when the Foundation began pushing for a restoration that highlighted the history of the docks. The Foundation took the lead in the transformation to “Mallory Square” which opened in 1961.

The Foundation’s Chairman Reta Savage wrote, “We have by unanimous decision named the area ‘Old Mallory Square’ in honor of the Clyde-Mallory Steamship Line.”

Corey reported Sawyer went on to make a prescient observation: “Needless to say when the dock and fishing pier are finished it will certainly be an attraction to the tourists.”

Good job, Corey! You saved Key West from some serious conflict re a name change.

Corey’s report can be read on a Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center, Facebook entry posted 12/19 titled “Who Is The Mallory Of Mallory Square? The Answer Is In The Archive.”

It is already Christmas in Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia. Less than 24 hours from now, it will be in Key West. An early Merry Christmas to one and all!

Persons of extreme wealth have always wanted to influence the U.S. government. Actually, control it. For some reason, they believe their wealth gives them a divine right to do so.

Regarding January 6, I have asked several times where did the money come from to support the uprising. Those fighting their way up the Capitol steps were not billionaires. Most were ordinary every day Americans.

It took money to get them to Washington. Transportation. Then where would they sleep, how would they eat, etc. All took money. The kind most did not have.

I was hoping the January 6 Committee might reveal who the moneybags were. They may have. The report was finally released in its entirety last night. This morning’s news contains the name of one such person who put $3 million up.

The person is 76 year old Publix heiress Julie Fancelli. She made the offer in late December 2020. The January 6 report documents a significant amount. How it was spent, allocated.

She wanted certain things.

She wanted Roger Stone and Alex Jones to speak at the planned White House Ellipse that preceded the violent march to the Capitol. Neither did. She wanted busing to be provided the insurrectionists. That she did receive.

Fancelli initially wanted to wire all of the $3 million to Charlie King’s Turning Point USA. She wanted the $3 million used to bus people to Washington. Eventually $1.25 million was.

Other monies were parceled as follows.

Caroline Wren received $200,000 as a commission for securing the money. Sixty thousand went to Donald Trump Jr.’s partner Kimberly Guilfoyle for her 3 minute speech before the rally. Roger Stone received an unspecified amount to pay for the private plane to fly him to Washington and his fee. The Republican Attorney General Association, Rule of Law defense Fund, received $150,000. Three hundred thousand went to Women For America First.

There has to be more who contributed in significant amounts. As the 800 page January 6 Committee report is dissected, we shall find out.

The issue of Confederate statues, etc. keep popping up. My position remains the same. Part of American history. Good, bad or indifferent. Leave such things alone.

What does disturb me however is when a person has an opinion re the issue based on ignorance. Does no one good.

Yesterday’s Citizens’ Voice (12/22) contained a comment re Stephen Mallory. A Key West resident who represented Florida in the U.S. Senate in the decade preceding the Civil War. When Florida seceded, he joined the government of the Confederacy as Secretary of the Navy.

Key West’s Mallory Square honors him as well as his bust in the nearby “bust garden.”

The comment that bugged me: “Mallory would never grab a person by the parsley. He only did a little bit of treason. It’s not like he tried to overthrow the country. Give him a break.”

“He only did a little bit of treason. It’s not like he tried to overthrow the government.” Let’s look at what he did. He was Secretary of the Navy in the administration of Jefferson Davis. He held the position throughout the existence of the Confederacy. He was able to shape the Confederate Navy according to the principles he had learned while serving in the U.S. Senate. His ideas included the incorporation of armor into warship construction. So much so, it became the standard in navies around the world.

Following the war, Mallory was imprisoned for more than a year. The public’s mood softened and he was granted a parole by President Johnson.

The last portion of my Christmas gift. Frank Sinatra’s My Way.

Merry Christmas!

When the new Republican House of Representatives is sworn in January 3, it will be led by a bully team. Disrespectful one and all.

An early example occurred when Zelensky was speaking before the joint session of Congress.

Since January 6, persons entering Congress must pass through special security. Makes sense. Representatives Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert are part of the bully group that will be leading the new House. They refused to go through security. Bulled their way through.

Then they sat throughout Zelensky’s address. Refusing to stand or clap. Working their cell phones most of the time.

A tough 2 years ahead.

There was a Celebration for Britney Griner this week. It was held at a church in Waco. Waco the home of Baylor University. The University in recess for the Christmas holiday.

Only 20 people showed up. Why so few? The fact Baylor in recess not reason enough. There are people who live in the Waco area.

China buried in COVID. On any given day, one million suffering from Covid. The number of reported deaths astronomical. Five thousand per day. Funeral parlors/directors cannot handle the volume.

The average number of cases is expected to rise to 3.7 million in January.

Sad! Horrible! Recall the U.S., New York City 2-3 years ago.

Enjoy your Day! Complete your Christmas shopping! I was a last minute shopper.

Volodymyr Zelensky is the 21st century Winston Churchill.

Without question.

Ukraines are fighting authoritarianism, fascism and terrorism. They are confronting evil. They are the free world’s buffer. Deserving of all the support the U.S. and NATO can give them.

Congress, especially the new House, must give Ukraine all the money it needs to fight Putin. Iran now included. By fighting Putin, the Ukraine is now fighting Iran.

This is not 1940. It is a new century. Eighty years later. Military weapons in the form of missiles have the capacity to reach U.S. shores. Opponents have the capacity to wage war on American soil with boots on the ground.

We must engage foes on their shores, not ours. We do not want blood flowing on American streets, our women and children raped, American’s executed by shots to the backs of their heads, heatless winters, etc.

On this day in 1941, Churchill arrived in Washington for a war time conference with Roosevelt.

A few days later on December 26, Churchill made his historic wartime address in the Senate Chamber before an informal meeting of Congress. His address was in the Senate rather than House Chamber because of the Christmas holiday. Most Congresspersons and Senators were home on vacation. Nevertheless, the Senate Chamber was packed. additional chairs were required to be added on the Senate floor to accommodate the overflow. The Senate gallery was standing room only.

Churchill warned “many disappointments and unpleasant surprises await us.” He pointed out the United Kingdom had been the target of a nine month long German campaign – known as the Blitz – and went on to note the Axis powers “are enormous, they are better; they are ruthless.”

These are “wicked men” he called them, and had brought evil forces into play. They must “know they will be called to terrible account.” He then slowly stated, “We are masters of our fate.”

Those members of the new House who want to trim Ukraine funding should keep Churchill’s last statement in mind.

Time to share another favorite musical tune. Part of my Christmas gift to you.

I have always enjoyed the beat to the Village People’s YMCA. Almost did not share it. While skimming the internet the other evening, I noticed Trump was now using the music to YMCA to whip people up at his political gatherings. Decided not to use it. Then thought why let Trump cheat me and my readers out of something more.

Ergo, the Village People and YMCA.

Once again, Merry Christmas!

It is fortunate the Keys has a Turtle Hospital. The Marathon Turtle Hospital. Bearer of a world wide reputation.

Twenty endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles arrived at the Marathon hospital December 9 to warm up and receive treatment after suffering “cold stunning” in Cape Cod waters.

A group of private pilots, dubbed “Turtles Fly Too,” donated their planes, fuel and time, transporting the turtles in towel-lined banana boxes.

The cold wave is coming. Arrives saturday. Every time extreme cold weather hits the northeast part of the U.S., Key West gets impacted with unusually cold weather. Fortunately, never snow.

Enjoy your day!

Crazy weather upon us. Only going to get crazier.

Began with the rain yesterday. Unbelievable. Key West day time rain storms are modest. Brief. Generally, light. Yesterday was another story.

Did it rain! Poured! With length and intensity that normally accompanies a hurricane. With one difference. Tropical storm rain rarely falls straight down. Comes in sideways. Sometimes from the bottom up (joking). Yesterday’s was straight down.

I found it welcoming. A few days ago my neighbor and I were talking about the need for an intense rain storm. One way to get your car washed. A good rain as good as a commercial washing. Can’t wait to go out this morning and see my car bright and shiny.

The weather is not going to get better. A cold artic blast is expected to cover southern Florida saturday and sunday. In time for Christmas.

Iguanas will fall from the trees! Appear dead. Merely stunned. Will recover as the weather warms up.

Key West temperatures Christmas Eve and Christmas will range from a high in the mid 60’s to lows in the mid 50’s. Long pants weather.

My Christmas gift continues. Songs I enjoy. Today New York, New York. The 3 Tenors again.

Merry Christmas again! Especially New Yorkers whose chests burst with pride when the song is played.

I wrote about the famous line “I’ll have what she’s having” in When Harry Met Sally” the other day. In a Comment  received today, I was advised it was Billy Crystal’s mother who said the line in the movie. My thanks to the person who shared the information with me. I fact checked to be sure. Make enough mistakes on my own.

Turns out it was not Crystal’s Mom. Rob Reiner’s mother Estelle. Reiner was directing the movie. Reiner convinced his mother to do it. And she did it well!

The Ukraine’s Zelensky travels to Washington today to meet with Biden during the day and address Congress this evening.

Hope Hicks back in the news. Hope a Senior Counselor to Trump.

It was revealed as part of the January 6’s final report that Hicks “pressed” for Trump to tell his followers “not to engage in violence.” He refused.

Bess Levin described Hope’s testimony: Hope “twists the knife.”

A brief insight into what scholars are saying about the Supreme Court.

They describe the Court’s recent conduct as “imperial.” Reflecting an “assertion of power.” Insisting on “dominance” and a willingness to use procedural shortcuts to achieve it.

ALARMING!

Trump’s 6 years of tax returns are being released. Going to be interesting!

Syracuse lost to Pitt last night by 2 points 84-82. Sounds like a close game. It was not. Pitt demolished Syracuse the first three quarters. Then with minutes left and Pitt ahead by 20 points, Syracuse came alive.

Syracuse’s defense pressed harder. Syracuse players found the hoop. Pitt could not score. Pitt failed to score a goal in the last 6 minutes of the game.

Pitt’s 3 point shooting was fantastic. Boeheim has always said his zone defense is not that effective against the 3 point shot. If an opposing team keeps making them, Syracuse will lose. Looked like it was going to happen last night.

Boeheim continued to be critical of his forwards in the post game interview. They are not rebounding. He is also unhappy with the defense overall.

Enjoy your day!

Twenty five movies were inducted this past week into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. One was the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.

A line in the movie is among the all time greats. It’s up there with Clark Gable’s closing line in Gone With The Wind: “Frankly my Dear, I don’t give a damn.”

Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal were having lunch and discussing whether a woman could successfully fake an orgasm. Right there in the middle of lunch with tables full all around them full, Ryan showed she could do it. The camera switched to an older woman at a nearby table who told the waiter, “I’ll have what she’s having!”

I went out last night. Met Steve and Cindy Thompson and Laura Bateman for drinks at the Chart Room. John bartending.

Glad I went. I had a good time! Much of the talk surrounded Key West stories of yesteryear. Steve has been here since the 1970’s, Cindy even earlier from the 1960’s and Laura lived in Key West at one time for 10 years. Throw in my 30 years. People came into the conversation I have not thought of in years. Fond remembrances.

I was home early and hungry. Threw a small frozen pizza in the oven. Twenty minutes to cook. I sat and watched TV while it was heating up. Woke 1 1/2 hours later. Realized…..Oh my God! The pizza! Fearful of a fire.

The pizza was cooked. Big time! Looked like a brick, hard as a brick. No way could it be eaten, let alone chewed.

Sloan will be by tomorrow. We have some things to work on. I have added to the list how to set the oven to shut down on its own. I can’t figure it out.

Another part of my Christmas gift to you. Another video. This is one someone sent me earlier in the year. I have run it twice. I like it so much I want to share it again. Some of you may not have seen it. A happy video. I labeled it the Italian Grocery Store.

Merry Christmas! Hope you enjoyed!

Came across an article about sayings imprinted on the tombstones of famous people. Brought to mind my instructions to Lisa in the event I decide to be buried. Burial or cremation still up in the air.

I told Lisa my stone should bear the epitaph: “I knew no other way to be, I only knew I had to be me.” It guided my life.

The January 6 Committee had its last “meeting” yesterday. It referred to the Department of Justice a recommendation that Trump be prosecuted with regard to 4 different charges.

Fine! Now, let’s get to it!

So much pussy footing around where Trump and criminal charges are involved. Always seems to be a reason why in the final analysis he should not. I worry that the Justice Department will let him slide by again.

One of my biggest disappointments was Mueller’s failure to do his job completely.

I am a lawyer. I am sick and tired of hearing how difficult the burden of beyond a reasonable doubt is to meet. Every type lawsuit, every side, has burdens to meet. The burdens on each side are onerous. Lawyers are trained to meet them. The fact that Trump is a former President should not give him a free pass.

Recognize if and when Justice indicts, the government attorney trying the case will have thousands of attorneys backing him up, all kinds of sophisticated talent and an open check book to convict Trump. It is that way in every criminal prosecution. No matter how many attorney(s) Trump hires to defend him and how much money he has available to spend, it no way will it equate with what the government will be throwing at him.

That is the way it is. So the bullshitting and crying should stop. Time for the government to move its ass.

Harry Truman was a President! Trump does not even come close to measuring up to him.

Truman loved Key West and Key West continues to love Truman.

Truman spent 11 trips visiting Key West over a period of 175 days. On this day in 1949, one of those trips concluded. It was on that day  Truman returned to Washington after a 3 week vacation at the Little White House.

Pope Francis has called on the governments of Russia and Ukraine to end the war. He is being much criticized for it. I agree with the criticism. Francis’ words give the impression both parties bear some responsibility for the war. Which is not the case.

A misstep by Francis here.

Syracuse plays Minnesota in the Pinstripe Bowl on December 29 at Yankee Stadium. Should be a huge crowd. New York City is loaded with Syracuse graduates. It will be cold. The weather will affect the play of both teams.

Syracuse plays Pitt tonight in an ACC basketball game at the Dome. Nine o’clock. Both teams 8-4 and 1-0 in ACC play.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Hanukkah!

The Jewish holiday began last night. It lasts 8 days.

I know little of the holiday. Though more I suspect than most Christians. The knowledge acquired I owe to my friends Aaron Wechter and Donna Barnett. They have spoon fed me along the way during my years in Key West.

My knowledge from the religious perspective is what is limited. The “fun” parts are what I know best.

For example, eating. Many of the foods are “oily.” Fried. Latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (donuts). Music another. Singing along in the synagogues. Gifts big! One a night for 8 nights. Considered by some to be an expanded reaction to Christmas.

A busy day ahead. On top of my already being behind. Spent a lot of time researching an item this morning I considered writing about. When I completed the research, I realized the issue was not worth writing about nor wasting your time reading. However it left me tired and time wise behind.

Anyhow, the January 6 Committee report will eat up most of the afternoon. I am a political junkie at heart. Would not miss it. Tonight, the Chart Room definitely. Meeting Steve and Cindy Thompson. Invited Laura Bateman to join us. She mentioned last week she would like to meet Steve and Cindy and pick their brains about “old” Key West. Laura lived in Key West for a time many years ago.

Mel Fisher an intrinsic part of Key West. Forever more.

Fisher died this day in 1998 at the age of 76. He spent 15 years searching before he found the mother lode of the Spanish treasure galleon Atocha in 1985. The Atocha was headed for Spain when it sank in a hurricane off the Florida Keys in 1622.

Political theorist and writer Thomas Paine published his first American Crisis essay this day in 1776. The essay’s opening words with us forever: “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

Paine also authored Common Sense.

Some Russians believe the Ukraine War has destroyed Putin’s aura of infallibility and represents the beginning of the end for him with the Russian people.

Let’s hope so!

Enjoy your day!

Syracuse’s victory over Cornell and the death of Louis Orr lead today’s blog.

Syracuse defeated Cornell 78-63. Didn’t look like it was going to be a Syracuse victory nor the slaughter it turned out to be. Cornell came into the game as the leading scorer of 3 point baskets in the nation. It was obvious they were during most of the first half. They were dropping 3’s from all over and some from long distances. At one point, Cornell had an 11 point lead.

It was all Cornell.

Then Syracuse began rallying and finished the half tied 37-37.

The second half was all Syracuse.. Syracuse totally dominated. Defense tightened. Cornell had difficulty making 3’s.

The victory was Syracuse’s fifth straight. Syracuse is now 8-4. Play Pitt at the Dome tuesday.

Louis Orr was one of Syracuse’s all time great basketball players. He died thursday of pancreatic cancer at 64.

Orr was one of the first players Boeheim recruited and coached. Orr starred at Syracuse 1976-1980. He scored 1,487 points, recovered 850 rebounds and led Syracuse to 100 victories against only 18 losses.

Boeheim described him as a great player. Even more, a great person.

There was a personal relationship between Orr and Boeheim. Orr also coached under Boeheim 1996-2000. In Boeheim’s press conference following the Cornell game, Boeheim said, “I have had a lot of great people and great players, but he’s the best of them all.” Fighting off tears, Boeheim terminated the press conference saying as he walked away, “It was hard coaching today.”

My afternoon was spent watching the game and working with Sloan.

It’s the week before Christmas. I would like to give something to each of you in the spirit of the holiday. I have decided to share a few musical items that have moved me. Not Christmas carols, though they have moved me as they do all of us. Something more personal.

I begin my Christmas giving to you with the 3 Tenors’ O Sole Mio.

Brings tear to my eyes.

Now to Trump and his digital trading cards.

We live and learn.

Trump is not the first politician to become involved in trading card sales. The Daily Beast reported yesterday Ron DeSantis did so this past May. Yes, DeSantis paved the way. Apparently DeSantis was quite the baseball player at Yale. He published and offered for sale a collection of trading cards using photos from his days as a star Yale baseball player. He was Rookie of the Year as a freshman. He batted .336 as a senior.

Five hundred “limited edition” cards were printed and sold. The cost $49 each.

Plus, 10 numbered “relic” cards autographed by DeSantis. They were sold at auction. Six sold for $3,000 each, the other 4 for at least $1,650. Friday one was listed for sale on eBay for $9,999.95. Imagine what it will go for if DeSantis becomes President.

Query: Does DeSantis’ prior involvement in the trading card business qualify Trump as a “copy cat?” A label Trump would surely love!

So much for today. Enjoy your Sunday!

Lest there be a misunderstanding, the Geiger Key reference is to a home on the island. Not the Geiger Key Restaurant and Marina.

Yesterday morning, the FBI raided a private home on Geiger Key. By SUVS with mounted turrets and water rafts. The agents themselves wore body armor and carried semiautomatic rifles.

The home was located on Mars Lane.

The raid was part of a “human trafficking” investigation. Several persons were taken into custody.

The raid began with agents announcing via a blow horn they were there and had a search warrant. Followed by a flash-bang grenade being thrown into the house. Soon followed by additional flash-bangs and smoke bombs.

Geiger Key is a sedate key. The last place a purported criminal activity as described would be expected to be taking place.

From human trafficking to church going.

A key question for Christians in the 21st century is whether the church is a hospital for sinners or an exclusive club for saints. In the recent decade, more have come to view “the church not a museum of saints, but a hospital for sinners.”

Pope Francis recently said, “I see clearly that the thing the Church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the Church a field hospital after battle.” Some interpret Francis’ words to mean “a hospital for sinners, not a museum.”

The high cost of college is being attacked in another fashion: By some colleges cutting tuition in half.

The New York Times ran an excellent article on the tuition cut 12/14 in an article by Anemona Hartocollis: “A Sign Tuition Is Too High: Some Colleges Are Slashing It In Half.”

The “slash” is being referred to in academic circles as a “tuition reset.” A relatively new approach. Presently limited to small colleges.

A leader in the field is Colby Sawyer College in New Hampshire. Its tuition was $46,000. This semester $17,500. Applications increased by 75 percent.

Today a significant one in aviation history. On this day in 1903, the Wright brothers made the first successful airplane flight. The event occurred in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville piloted the gasoline powered propeller driven plane. The plane stayed afloat 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.

Steve Thompson wrote of a 1970’s Key West character called Love 22.

Love 22 was a Key West street performer. He was also in New Orleans but Key West was warmer.

He really stood out at Mallory Square. He handed out 22 dollar bills there. Twenty two cents apiece he would holler. He never stopped talking, that’s all he would do. Everything he said added up to 22.

He wore a top hat and tails in a formal black suit. With an American flag on his hat. What a hoot.

He was at sunset everyday in the 70’s. Then he suddenly disappeared from the Keys.

New Orleans gave him the key to the city one year. Then all at once he showed up back here. He looked exactly the same, he didn’t change a bit. It was 22 years, how weird can it get?

Sloan at 1:30. Syracuse/Cornell at 3.

Enjoy your day!

Only Donald could come up with the digital trading card gambit. A disgrace! Not for him personally. The man is incapable of feeling personal disgrace. The disgrace applies to the Presidency which he continues to insult.

Compounding the disgrace, Trump had the audacity to provide a 24 hour notice of the MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT which he made yesterday.

A baseball hero he is not. A clown he is. Clown cards however have no market, except perhaps initially to a limited market. Charging $99 per card, which will sell to a certain few initially: The MAGA nuts that follow him.

The money he collects does not go into a political fund. It is for his personal gain. He will only have to pay personal income taxes. If he remembers, of course.

Another Republican is in the news. Supreme Court Justice Alito. A return to fame for him.

During oral argument monday in a case involving LGBTQ rights, Alito made a joke about Black children and Klu Klux Klan attire: “You do see a lot of Black children in Klu Klux Klan outfits all the time.” Garnered a laugh from some fellow Justices and members of the  Court room audience.

Alito has been lambasted on social media since, and properly so, for the “joke’s inappropriateness.”

Nationally popular Mike Leach died this week at age 61. He was Mississippi State football coach.

Whereas the Chart Room has been my Key West haven, Captain Tony’s was Leach’s. He was a Key West regular. I am sorry to say we never met. He even had a stool with his name painted on it.

Leach’s favorite song writer and singer Jimmy Buffett. Who else. His favorite Buffett tune Last Mango in Paris.

Haircut with Lori yesterday. Her salon busy. Key West is busy. Suddenly traffic is heavy. Parking non-existent. Restaurants and bars busy, even by day.

I suspect the visitors are a new brand of snowbirds. Those who rent a house for $10,000 per month. Not those who buy and only use their second home part time.

Followed up my Lori visit with lunch at Hogfish. The luncheon crowd overwhelming. Sat at the bar to be waited on by Julia.

Julia a hard worker. She not only waits the entire bar, she also is the sole preparer of drinks for the entire restaurant. On a busy day like yesterday, she respectfully works her ass off.

I enjoyed the “workingman’s lunch.” A chicken parmigiana sandwich. Absolutely delicious!

Another exciting day ahead. A manicure and pedicure with Tammy at noon. I know, it’s a tough life. Someone has to do it. I am glad I can.

Today an important one in American history. On this day in 1773, American colonists boarded a British ship and threw more than 300 chests of tea into Boston harbor to protest tea taxes. The Boston Tea Party and other such events led to the Revolutionary War a few years later.

Syracuse/Cornell basketball tomorrow at 3 at the Syracuse Dome.

Enjoy your day!